Keynote Speaker - Actor and Lifelong Activist Mike Farrell

An actor known for M*A*S*H and Providence, Mike Farrell is also a writer, director and producer who made a number of films, including the features "Dominick and Eugene" and "Patch Adams." On stage, he is currently performing in "Dr. Keeling's Curve," a one-man show. Farrell has served as first vice president of the Screen Actors Guild, and as a member of the Guild's national Board of Directors.

Beyond the world of entertainment, Farrell is a lifelong opponent of the death penalty. President of Death Penalty Focus since 1994, he speaks, debates, writes and campaigns across the country in opposition to state killing. In 2004, he represented Death Penalty Focus before the Inter-American Court on Human Rights in support of the Mexican Government's claim against the US for violating the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. Deeply involved in 2012's SAFE California Campaign, an abolition effort that came within 2% of succeeding, he is today the proponent of its successor, Proposition 62, The Justice That Works initiative on the 2016 ballot.

Farrell also serves as spokesperson for Concern America, a refugee relief and development organization, and has traveled the globe for the last 35 years with international peace and human rights delegations to El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras, the U.S.S.R., Paraguay, Chile, Israel, the Occupied Territories, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Czechoslovakia, Somalia, Kenya, Croatia, Bosnia, Cuba, Rwanda, Zaire, Tanzania, Mexico and Costa Rica. During the Salvadoran civil war he testified against U.S. policy before the Foreign Affairs Committee of the U. S. House of Representatives.

Central America began his association with Americas Watch, later Human Rights Watch, and ultimately to establishing its California Committee branch in the late '80s, where he served as its co-chair for 10 years. Farrell was also a member of the State of California's Commission on Judicial Performance and he co-founded Artists United to Win Without War.

Farrell is the author of two books: "Just Call Me Mike: A Journey to Actor and Activist," and "Of Mule and Man."

For almost 20 years, Insight Prison Project has provided programs that foster insight and empathy for prisoners, while also offering crime victims a voice in our criminal justice system. These programs create a rare and effective response to our nationwide prison problem and to the needs of prisoners, parolees, crime victims, and our communities. ﻿

​"IPP taught me how to take accountability for my actions, thoughts, and how to connect with my emotions... In order for a caterpillar to transform into a butterfly, it needs a place to evolve. I believe IPP programs offer that place for incarcerated men to transform into healers." -K.L., Insight Prison Project Graduate, San Quentin

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​"Your contribution indicates that you believe the men inside prisons are redeemable. And we are!! They say that doing time is easy. But doing the work of IPP is hard--in a good way. When one discovers what went wrong in one's life and takes accountability for one's transgressions... I call that justice! How do we as a society want these men to return? For my community I pray that they have a chance to participate in programs like Insight Prison Project's to be exposed to new possibilities in life." ​-R.F., Insight Prison Project Graduate, released in 2012​

﻿​"Insight Prison Project gives survivors a platform, a chance to really be heard, which has been very healing for me and for my daughter. The ancient Greek definition of vengeance was: The full application of justice. That's what I was looking for when my husband was killed. IPP understands that the full application of justice is not as easy as locking someone up and keeping them away from seeing the harm that they have caused. I got real justice when the man who took my husband's life applied what he learned through IPP and VOEG-- He connected the dots and became able to demonstrate accountability and empathy. I have been involved with IPP for over a decade now, and I see the transformation of offenders on the inside and on the outside. When the men who have graduated with IPP leave prison and reenter society, they are not just living crime-free lives, they are making a real contribution to our communities. That's justice." ​-Patty O'Reilly, Survivor​

There are so many ways YOU can be part of Beyond the Bars...

Event SponsorshipIPP's annual fundraiser hosts our stakeholders, prominent professionals, social justice leaders, and concerned community members who come together to support IPP. This year we expect to again fill the Golden Gate Club to capacity. A small investment from your marketing budget will reach state and local agencies and businesses throughout the Bay Area.

Host a TableEvery year, table hosts agree to write or raise $2,500 to support IPP's programs by inviting their family, friends, and coworkers to become supporters of the work. Our table hosts are an important part of the IPP family and we're thrilled so many of you come back year after year for this inspiring evening.

Buy a TicketWe have a limited number of individual tickets for $250 to attend the dinner. Purchase yours HERE today since these will sell out soon!